Did New Zealand claim victory too quickly? New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday, August 11, ordered the reconfinement of her country's largest city, Auckland, after the appearance for the first time in 102 days of locally transmitted Covid-19 cases.
The head of government, whose effective policy in the fight against Covid-19 has been praised around the world, announced that four cases of this disease had been identified in a family living in Auckland and that the origin of this contamination remained unknown.
"After 102 days, we have our first cases of Covid-19 recorded outside of the facilities intended for placement in isolation or in managed quarantine (...), while we have all worked incredibly hard to prevent this scenario," said the head of government. "We also planned and prepared this scenario", she however assured.
From Wednesday, the city of Auckland will be reconfigured for at least three days and some social distancing measures will be reintroduced across the rest of the country.
Twenty-two deaths in New Zealand
On Monday, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised several countries, including New Zealand, for having succeeded in "eradicating the virus quickly". New Zealand, which has recorded 22 deaths out of a population of five million, had not had a case of transmission inside its territory since May 1.
As a result, New Zealanders had returned to an almost normal way of life, without any social distancing measures, and the public was once again allowed to attend sporting and cultural events. However, the health authorities have continued to warn the population against the risk of a second wave of "inevitable" contamination.
All cell phones in New Zealand have received an alert message, warning: "If you are in Auckland, STAY HOME (...) and SAVE LIVES". Jacinda Ardern said she understood the disappointment of her compatriots who believed the virus had been eradicated after the seven weeks of strict confinement in her country in March-April.
Panic shopping in supermarkets
“Maybe it was tempting to believe that New Zealand was out of the woods, I ask you not to feel demoralized or discouraged,” she said, noting that “among all the countries in the world , New Zealand was the one that had lasted the longest without a resurgence "of the virus.
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The Prime Minister's announcement sparked panic buying in supermarkets and the Prime Minister reassured consumers, telling them: "You don't have to, there is everything you need ".
There are already long lines at Auckland supermarkets.
The below images are from inside the Gray Lynn countdown, lines outside Mt Eden Countdown, and about 200 people wrap around the Countdown building on Quay Street.
More Covid-19 updates here: https://t.co/jR6f6LmJCW pic.twitter.com/Bi0xrJ6ZsR
She also ruled out any impact on the parliamentary elections scheduled for September 19, even though she does not intend to campaign in the coming days in Auckland.
With AFP
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